Abstract: A metal doped carbon coating wherein the Me-doped C coating is for operation in boundary lubrication conditions, in which the metal is present in the coating in an amount of from 5 to 20% by atomic percent, i.e. the ratio of the number of atoms of the metal Me to the number of atoms of the carbon C does not exceed 1:4. The coating is made by pre-treating a workpiece surface by simultaneous bombardment of the surface with accelerated ions of W, Mo and C ions generated by a HIPIMS discharge in a treatment chamber. This is followed by deposition of a transition layer of metal and/or metal nitride of a thickness in the range from 20 nm-1000 nm thick by magnetron sputtering optionally in the form of or including HIPIMS sputtering, the metal being at least one of W and Mo. Thereafter a main layer the main layer of Me-doped C coating is deposited by HIPIMS sputtering.

Abstract: The invention relates to an object comprising a relatively soft carrier material, optionally, an adhesive layer and/or an adhesive layer system, which are applied to the carrier material, and a relatively hard decorative layer. The object is characterized in that an intermediate layer is provided between the carrier material and the decorative layer and/or between the adhesive layer and the adhesive layer system and the decorative layer and comprises at least DLC (diamond like carbon) as the main component. The invention also relates to a method for producing said type of object.

Abstract: An apparatus for the pretreatment and/or for the coating of an article in a vacuum chamber having at least one cathode arranged therein having at least one HIPIMS power source and also having a device which generates a tunnel-like magnetic field in front of the surface of the cathode, is characterized in that the device is designed in order to generate the tunnel-like magnetic field in front of a portion of the surface of the cathode and in that the device is displaceable relative to the cathode to allow the magnetic field to act in front of at least one further portion of the surface of the cathode. The device can consist of permanent magnets, which are displaced relative to the cathode, or of magnetic field generating coils, which can be movably arranged or stationary.